Brooke HendersonDave Chidley/The Canadian Press
Brooke Henderson got quite the birthday gift on Wednesday. The now 17-year-old golfing sensation from Smiths Falls, Ont. is the new No. 1 ranked female amateur in the world according to the latest edition of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Henderson is the first Canadian female to hold the No. 1 world ranking.
Henderson was elevated to the No. 1 spot after Minjee Lee made the decision to turn pro after leading Australia to a come from behind win at the Women's World Amateur Team Championship last week. Henderson finished as the leading individual player at the event while helping Canada to a second place finish.
Henderson started 2014 as the No. 6 ranked amateur in the world and her rise up the rankings began back in January with wins at the Junior Orange Bowl and the South Atlantic Ladies Amateur – two very prestigious amateur events. Her successful summer run included victories at the Scott Robertson Memorial, Women's Porter Cup, the Ontario Women's Amateur Championship and the PGA Women's Championship of Canada where she set a new scoring record.
Henderson claimed top amateur honours at the U.S. Women's Open and was runner-up at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship last month. In fact, she has made the cut in all four LPGA Tour events she has competed in this season, which has led to speculation about her professional ambitions. While she has verbally committed to play at the University of Florida in 2015, former Globe and Mail golf columnist Lorne Rubenstein reported back in July that Henderson petitioned the LPGA for a waiver to its minimum age requirement to join the Tour. While that request was denied, it does not preclude her from making subsequent bids for additional sponsor exemptions.
Henderson, currently the highest ranked female among professional golfers in Canada, is expected to be one of two players Canada sends to Brazil when golf makes its return at the Summer Olympics in 2016.